Improvement in gaff-blocks for vessels



@wat @with CHRISTOPHER .D. SMITH, OF

BRIDGEP'ORT, CONNECTICUT. l

Letters .Patent No. 99,362, dated February 1, 1870; antedated January20, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN G-.AFF-BLOCKS FOR VESSELS.

The Schedule referred to in these yLetters Patent and making part of thesame,

v To all whom Iit'may concern Be it known that I,l CHRISTOPHER D. SMITH,of th town of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield, and State OfConnecticut, have invented a new andimproved Blook to be applied to theend of the gait', or to 'the ends of studding-sail booms of asailing-vessel, for

the purpose of preventing the fouling ofthe sheet attached to the end ofthe topsail or studding-sails.

The nature of my invention is fully set forth in the accompanyingdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view of my invention;

Figure 2, a front View; and

Figure 3, a cross-section of g. 1 at x-x.

The same letters refer to the same parts in the several figures.

In the figures shown- C is the end of wood ga'.

B is the shell of the sheave, having a shank, E, which ts into a.ferrule, D, which ferrule is fitted to the end of the gaf', as shown.

Near the end of shank E is a circular groove, F.

A pin, H, is driven through the gai, so as to enter said groove andprevent the shell of the sheave from falling out, but not to be so snugas to prevent'the shell from freely turning in the ferrule. l

The sheave A may be either of the common or im-y proved kinds.

The shell and sheave, when in place, can be freely turned on the end otthe ga", so that the sheet passing through the block, can in no eventbecome fouled.

In fig. 4, at I, it will be seen how my improvement is attached to thegaff, and how the sheet is carried through the blocks.

Having thus described my invention, i

What I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of`a block, such as described, with the gai of a vessel,for the purpose of preventing the fouling of the sheet.

CHRISTOPHER D. SMITH.

g Witnesses:

H. BISHOP,

S. L. BOOTH.

